Apparatus for conditioning air



Feb. 20, 1940. T. D. ADAIR APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING AIR Filed July 19, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor Witness .Feb. 20, 1940. T. D. ADAIR APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING AIR Filed July 19, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I WitnesS Patented Feb. 20, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,191,224 APPARATUS FOR CONDITIONING Ara Application July 19, 1934, Serial No. 736,021

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for conditioning air in a chamber or enclosure.

The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus whereby air may be conditioned and regulation effected in an eiiicient manner by an apparatus of simple yet rugged construction, occupying a minimum of floor space, particularly as to the front to back dimensions, and having a maximum of stability and freedom from vibration and noise.

One of the features of the new improved apparatus is the provision within a casing of means for creating two separate streams of air arranged to meet without the casing and commingle, the

: casing also being provided with air conditioning devices for differentially conditioning said separate streams, and with controlling means for varying the relative volumes of the twostreams to regulate the condition of the commingled or;

combined streams.

Another feature of the apparatus is the provision in the casing of two spaced discharge openings for the separate streams, with a conditioning element located to condition only the stream of air passing through one of the openings.

Still another feature is the location of the fan and motor mechanism at the bottom of the easing to give maximum stability and minimum vibration and noise.

Other features will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art from a consideration of the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of one type of air conditioning apparatus, namely, a unit heater, operating in accordance with and embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section on line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a left hand end elevation as viewed in Fig. l; and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section on line 4-4 of Fig.3.

The casing of the unit is of metal construction, comprising a framework of vertical andhorizontal members 5 and I, with sheet metal walls. The walls for the front of the casing are formed in three rows of panels, the upper panels 9 and the middle panels ll having discharge outlets or openings l3 and I5, provided with the inclined louvres I1 and I9, respectively. The lower front panels 2| are formed each with the intake opening or inlet 23 covered with a screen or grill 25.

The end walls of the casing are formed in two parts, an upper section '21 removable to give access to the interior of the casing, and particularly to the heating unit, and the lower section 29 more permanently attached to the framework. The upper sections 21 are each formed with a air.

discharge outlet or opening 3| having the directing vanes or louvres 33. The lower sections each have The means for heating the air consists of a heating, element or radiator36; shown in Figs. 2 and 4, which comprises two rows of pipes or tubes 31, provided with extended heating surface in the form of fins 39. Steam is continuously supplied to the heating element through the supply and return pipes 40 .and 4| from a convenient source. I k

The heating element is located in the upper portion of the casing at a point between the upper discharge openings or outlets l3 and the an inlet opening 34, with protecting screen of these lower openings are more inclined, that is,

more nearly vertical, than the louvres or vanes ll of the upper openings, so that the two streams of air issuing from the two sets of openings will be directed together and intermingled immediately in front of the unit, thereby preventing the objectionable effects of two separate streams, one of heated and the other of unheated air.

In order to regulate the heating effect of the unit, means are provided in the form of a swinging damper for controlling or varying the relative volumes of unheated and heated air discharged from the outlets. This damper, indicated at 43, is pivoted immediately below the heating element and adjacent the front wall at 45, and by swinging its free end toward or from the front of the heater, the relative proportions of heated and unheated air will be increased or diminished. In-the position shown in Fig. 2, the volumes of heated and unheated air will be relatively equal. In the front dotted position, indicated at 41, the entire discharge will be heated In the rearward position, shown in dotted outline at 49, only unheated air will be discharged. By varying or adjusting the position of the damper to an intermediate position, any desired proportion of heated and unheated air can be secured, and the heatingeffect of the unit varied accordingly.

Preferably the adjustment of the damper 43 is automatically regulated as by a thermostatic regulator 5|, mounted upon the bracket 53 on link 51 and arm 59 fixed to the damper shaft 6|,

the damper will be swung or adjusted as the temperature of the room requires.

The air is circulated through the heater by means of motor driven fans located in'the lower portion of the casing. Preferably a pair of spaced centrifugal fans 63 are provided, with the driving motor 65 located between, the airbeingdrawn through the front and end inlets 23 and 34 into the inlet chamber 6'! and thence into the axial intakesof the fan, from which it is tangentially discharged, as shown in Fig. 2, all in accordance with the ordinary method of operation of these devices.

The operation of the air heater is best illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4, showing the air entering the bottom of the casing through the inlet openings and passing through the fans from which it is discharged vertically. With the position of the damper as indicated in full line in Fig. 2, that portion of the discharged air passing to the left of the damper 43 escapes unheated through the outlet l5, being directed upwardly by the louvres or vanes l9. That portion of the fan discharge passing to the right of the damper passes upwardly through the heating element, where heat is imparted from the steam in the pipes, and

' thence outwardly through the outlets l3 and 3|.

The vanes or louv'res I! in the opening [3 deflect the air with only slight inclination from the horizontal direction so that it will intercept and mingle with the upwardly discharged air from. the outlets I 5.

Among the advantages secured by the improved method above described are its simplicity and efficiency, noregulation or controlling of the heating element being required, and the fans and motor operating, with a substantially constant output. The regulation of the heating effect is secured merely by varying the relative volumes of the two streams which, whencommingled, give a stream or supply of heated air at the required temperature.

The unit heater herein shownand described possesses advantages over prior constructions, be-

ing of extremely simple construction and avoiding the use of all steam regulating valves. It has only one moving part besides the usual fan and motor, namely, the swinging damper, which may be easily and efficiently controlled by the simple the casing, not only is the noise and vibration rethermostatic device on the outside of the casing. By placing the motor and fans at the bottom of duced to a minimum, but the apparatus is less top heavy and more stable than in those types of heaters-where the heavy motor and fans are at the top of the unit.

The'employment of two discharge openings or outlets, one below and the other above the heating element, permits the front-to-back' dimension of the unit and casing being reduced to a minimum, inasmuch 'as no additional width is revention is not limited to this particular form of air conditioning, but may be embodied in other forms and constructions designed and arranged for conditioning air other than by heat. Nor is the present invention limited to the specific manner and apparatus shown and described for creating the two streams of air of different condition,

i as in its broader aspects it contemplates any suit- Having thus described the present invention,

What is claimed is:

1. An air conditioning apparatus comprising a casing having an air inlet and a plurality of air outlets spaced from one another, conditioning means for conditioning the air discharged through one outlet only, means for directing a stream of air discharged from one outlet at a converging angle with respect to a stream of air discharged from another outlet to cause said streams to intersect and mix and devices for regulating the volume of the discharge of air through the outlets:

2. An air conditioning apparatus comprising a casing, an air inlet at the bottom thereof, an air outlet at the top, a second air outlet intermediate thebottom inlet and top outlet, an air conthe outlets, means for directing the streams of air through the outlets in paths intersecting without the casing, and means intermediate the second outlet and the conditioner for varying the flow of air through the outlets to regulate the conditioning effect of the apparatus.

3'. An air conditioning apparatus comprising a casing, an air inlet at the bottom of the casing, an air outlet at the top of the casing, a second air outlet in the front of the casing between the bottom inlet and the top outlet, a fan for drawing air through the inlet and. forcing it through the casing means for directing the streams of air through the outlets in paths intersecting without the casing, an air conditioner positioned intermediate the outlets, and a swinging damper for regulating the flow of unconditioned air through the second outlet and through the conditioner and top outlet tov regulate the conditioning effect of the apparatus.

4. A unit heater comprising a casing, an air inlet at the bottom thereof, a fan for drawing air through the inlet and forcing it through the casing, a top air outlet, means for directing the air stream from said outlet in an approximately horizontal direction, an air heater adjacent the outlet, a supplementary air outlet beneath the heater, vanes for directing the air stream from the heater and top outlet, and thermostatic means responsive to the temperatureoutside the casing for controlling the operation of the damper means.

5. A unit for conditiioning the air in a chamber comprising a casing, an air inlet at the bottom thereof, a fan and motor for drawing air'from the chamber through the inlet and to force it through the casing and into the chamber, a top air outlet, an air heater beneath and adjacent said outlet and extending across the casing from front to back, a supplementary air outlet in the front' wall of the casing adjacent the heater and below the same, and a swinging damper pivoted above the supplementary air outlet and extending downwardly to a point adjacent the fan out let and movable to direct the stream of air discharged from the fan through the supplementary and top outlets in any desired proportions, or to shut off either of said outlets entirely, to vary the amounts of heated and unheated air and thereby regulate the heating effect of the unit, while maintaining a constant circulation of air through the chamber.

6. A unit for conditioning the air in a chamber comprising a casing having a top air outlet, an air inlet at the bottom of the casing, a fan at the bottom of the casing and adjacent the air inlet for moving air through the apparatus, an air heater at the top of the casing and beneath the top air outlet and extending across the casing from front to back, a supplementary air outlet in the front wall of the casing beneath the air heater, means for directing in varying proportion the flow of unheated air through the supplementary air outlet and heated air through the top outlets to regulate the heating effect of the unit while maintaining a continuous circulation of air through the chamber, and thermostatic devices air heater intermediate-said outlets, means for causing the air streams from said outlets to intersect and mingle outside the casing, and a swinging damper pivoted above thesupplemem tary air outlet and extending downwardly to a point adjacent the fan outlet and movable to direct the stream of air discharged from the fan through the supplementary and top outlets in any desired proportions, or to shut ofi either of said outlets entirely, to varythe amounts of heated and unheated air and thereby regulate the heating efiect of the apparatus. a

8. A unit heater comprising a casing, an air inlet at the bottom thereof, a. fan and motor for drawing air through the inlet and forcing it through the casing, an air conditioner positioned in the top portion of the casing and extending substantially the length and width thereof, an outlet above said conditioner for conditioned air, a supplementary outlet below said conditioner for unconditioned air, means in said outlets for causing the stream of unconditioned air to intersect and mingle outside the casing with the stream of conditioned air, and a damper for directing the stream of air discharged from the fan through the supplementary and top outlets in any desired proportions, or to shut off either of said outlets entirely, to vary the amounts of heated and unheated air and thereby regulate the heating effect of the apparatus.

THOMAS D. ADAIR. 

